Writing my way around New England

Stay Work Play: Summer Bounty

Perhaps I was hungry, or just really excited about garlic scape pesto. When I sat down my blog post for Stay Work Play this weekend, I couldn’t stop thinking about our Wake Robin Farm CSA.

My first job was on a farm picking strawberries, blueberries and a few other fruits and vegetables the summer I was 13. I picked in the blazing sun from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week with a crew of about a dozen other teenagers. The work was hot, I only made $3 an hour, but I ate a healthy dose of fruit that summer and went back to school with a great tan.

The experience also gave me a great appreciation for locally grown food. The farm I worked on was just one of a few within a mile or two of my home that grew summer food favorites like corn, peaches, tomatoes and various squash. I learned early on that a tomato from down the road tastes way, way better than the tomatoes shipped in from Mexico.

Portsmouth, like a number of communities throughout the state, hosts a weeklyfarmers’ market, where local food growers, bakers, artists and restaurants set up shop for the morning and sell fresh, locally grown or made food. For years I bought fresh produce at the farmers market, but last year decided to step up my fresh food intake by purchasing a share in a local CSA.